Dead Souls 死魂灵

Sinceitspublicationin1842,DeadSoulshasbeencelebratedasasupremelyrealisticportraitofprovincialRussianlifeandasasplendidlyexaggeratedtale;asapaeantotheRussianspiritandasaremorselesssatireofimperialRussianvenality,vulgarity,andpomp.AsGogol'swilyantihero,Chichikov,combsthebackcountrywheelinganddealingfor"deadsouls"--deceasedserfswhostillrepresentmoneytoanyonesharpenoughtotradeinthem--weareintroducedtoaDickensiancastofpeasants,landowners,andconnivingpettyofficials,fewofwhomcanresisttheseductiveillogicofChichikov'sproposition.Thislively,idiomaticEnglishversionbytheaward-winningtranslatorsRichardPevearandLarissaVolokhonskymakesaccessiblethefullextentofthenovel'slyricism,sulphuroushumour,anddelightinhumanoddityanderror.《死魂灵》的目标是“从一侧面来表现全俄罗斯”，它的出版“震撼了整个俄罗斯”，也使果戈理跻身于世界级经典作家之林。小说通过骗子乞乞科夫购买“死魂灵”以图营利的奇异故事，全方位揭示了帝俄社会的腐败和农奴制没落的真相，由此对俄罗斯社会生活的本质和俄罗斯心灵的真实状态进行了一次前所未有的剖析和观照。在本书中果戈理善于通过喜剧性的细节来折射生活被肢解、生命被窒息、生存被僵化的艺术才华得到了最出色的表现。